The Unknown Citizen
by Seamus-Spike
Summary: A fan Flashpoint script and multiple vignettes about Spike and Lisa Spinachi an OC! Spike X OC. Rated Teen for some innuendo and slight language. Feel free to skip the first extremely long chapter, I know it is a little dry, it was for an english class.
1. The Unknown Citizen

**The Unknown Citizen**

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **_[Counting off screen]_ eighteen, seventeen, sixteen... _[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young entering the apartment. They see Peter O'Malley] _fifteen, fourteen, thirteen... _[Switch to the truck. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker and Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth looking worried]_ twelve, eleven, ten... _[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young] [Switch to Lisa Spinachi and Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti looking a little scared] _three, two, one...

[A fast action rewind of the episode's events]

[Five hours earlier... At the Rossi/Spinachi household. Lisa Spinachi has just finished getting dressed into casual jeans and a plaid shirt. The time is about noon. She heads upstairs. We see Frank Rossi doing the washing up from what looks like lunch]

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Kisses Frank Rossi on the cheek]_ Bye Papa. I've got some running around to do but I'll be back by 7:30 for dinner.

**Frank Rossi:** Lisa you need to slow down. Even on your day off you run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

**Lisa Spinachi: **Papa you know it's necessary. I'll be back. Just remember to put the pork roast in the oven at 6:00 and put the vegetables on at 7:00 at _[shrugs her shoulders]_ medium.

**Frank Rossi:** Yes, yes. Do you remember when I used to take care of you?

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Cracks a smile]_ Not really.

**Frank Rossi:** That reminds me could you take Anita back her casserole dish.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Rolls her eyes]_ Sure Papa.

**Frank Rossi:** Don't forget to have fun.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Joking]_ I don't know it might take too long to return this dish.

**Frank Rossi:** _[Cracking a smile]_ Get going. _[Lisa Spinachi waves and leaves with casserole dish and car keys in hand]_

_[The men's locker room at SRU headquarters. Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti, Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth, Sam Braddock and Lewis 'Lou' Young have just finished changing. Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti is in the middle of telling an animated story which the others find highly amusing.] _

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **So anyway were eating dinner yesterday and my mom starts complaining that she'll never have grandchildren if this keeps up...

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **You mean she's finally kicking you out? _[Chortles]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **No, no. She says that she's going to introduce me to a _[does finger quotes]_ nice girl from a good family.

**Sam Braddock: **Wait you're telling us that your mom is setting you up on a blind date?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Not really, it's more of a family dinner she's setting me up on. But apparently I've sown my share of wild oats and now it's time for me to settle down.

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **_[Laughing]_You're joking! Spike Scarlatti with the same girl for a lifetime, almost as unimaginable as Sammie with the same girl twice.

**Sam Braddock: **Hey, hey lay off. Give Spike his time to be ragged on.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Well Michael Scarlatti has to give it a go because she set up the date already and unless I get injured today I'm not getting out of it.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **_[Walking in, barking the order]_ Alright Gents! Hurry up Sarge wants to see us now.

_[Team One is in the meeting room. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker is talking to the rest of the team. It keeps switching between him talking and Lisa Spinachi walking away from a house]_

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Been a quiet day so far so we're going to go and keep it that way with a constant patrol of the trouble spots. If there's any trouble radio in. Lou, Jules and Spike you take Jane and Finch area, Wordy and Ed, Smithfield, and Sam you and I'll take Scarborough Junction and surrounding. Any questions _[pause]_ Okay, let's keep the peace.

_[Meanwhile while Gregory 'Sarge' Parker is talking you see a girl fumbling for her keys getting knocked out from behind][Opening credits]_

_[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti, Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young are in an SUV that is driving around a slightly tougher part of Toronto. Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti is sitting in the backseat, jokingly complaining]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Why do I always have to sit in the backseat?

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **_[To Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Spike, you still live in your folks basement. You're practically a kid _[condoning]_ and little kids sit in the backseat.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[To Lewis 'Lou' Young, sarcastically] _Doesn't this just want to have kids?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Are we there yet? I have to go pee? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? _[Continuing through Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan's speech]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[To Lewis 'Lou' Young]_ We just had to say he was a little kid.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Blanching, yelling]_ Jules look out _[Pointing out the front window]_

_[ The girl who got knocked out is sitting in the middle of the road a bomb strapped to her chest, two lines or wires run around her in a circle the first one is just big enough for her to sit in the second one has a radius of four feet. The SUV pulls to a stop just in front of the second wire circle with the girl at the centre. There is no one in sight except the girl .The three SRU members gets out of the SUV, weapons levelled]_

**Peter O'Malley: **_[Crackly, over a baby monitor strapped to the front of the bomb]_ Excellent the police are here for my demonstration. Tell them your line and you might not get hurt.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Scared]_ My name is Lisa Spinachi. I have a bomb capable of blowing a twenty foot hole in the ground strapped to me.

**Peter O'Malley: **_[Crackly, over a baby monitor strapped to the front of the bomb]_ I want 10 thousand dollars in cash. No funny business, no sequential bills. Drop it off in locker 294 of the new terminal at the airport. You have until 6:00 PM or I detonate the bomb, remotely. Nobody and nothing passes over the large circle or the bomb will detonate. The girl does not leave the centre of the circle or the bomb will detonate. This will be my final communication but remember I'm always watching.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[Into her ear piece]_ We have an emergency situation at Driftwood and London Green.

_[Continuation of above scene. Lisa Spinachi is in the center of the circle. Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti is Taking picture from a distance, Lewis 'Lou' Young can be seen canvassing neighbourhood. Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan is speaking with Lisa Spinachi]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[Yelling lightly at Lisa Spinachi]_ So what do you remember?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I was just getting back my car, 'cause I had to drop off a casserole dish to a friend of the family. When someone hit me over the head _[She scrunches up her eyes, trying to remember]_ after that I don't remember much.

_[SRU van comes round the corner flanked by two SUV's. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker gathers the Lewis 'Lou' Young, Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti, Sam Braddock, Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth, and Edward 'Ed' Lane. Leave Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan talking with Lisa Spinachi] _

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Okay Spike, Lou what have we got?

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **Single female, Lisa Spinchai, strapped with a bomb, unidentified subject is asking for 10 thousand dollars, non-sequential bills and no funny stuff to be delivered by 6:00 PM to locker 294 in the new terminal at the airport. They're watching, so no going in the circle or sending things to the girl. The girl is not allowed to leave the centre of the circle.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Can't get a clear enough image of the bomb to tell what type of detonator is being used or if there is even a detonator. The wires seem to be rigged to the bomb. They kinda look like the underground electric shock wires for dogs. _[Short pause]_ If I can cut those without the guy finding out I could get her out but they said they're watching and I don't want to risk it.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **In that case hope for the best plan for the worst

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Okay. Wordy you and me are in the truck. Lou, you Ed and Sam remove the neighbours from the blast zone and ask them if they heard anything suspicious. Wordy call someone from the tech squad to help you locate where the subject is watching from. Spike keep trying with the bomb. Jules will continue to talk to the victim maybe something in her past has made her a victim or it's completely random. We'll run a background check on her see if anything dodgy pops up. _[Everyone goes their separate ways]_

_[Back to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan talking to Lisa Spinachi]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Is it possible you knew your attacker, Lisa?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I know you have to ask but pretty much everyone I interact with are retired or working right now.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **How so?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I work for city sanitation as a garbage disposal person, I take night classes at George Brown and I live with my dad. I took my day off to get ready for the first party I've had since high school... I actually wanted to look human ... _[Down trod]_ well I'm sure the picture in front of the urn will look good.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Come on don't give up on us. Officer Scarlatti is going to get that bomb off you and you can go to your party.

**Lisa Spinachi: **No offence but I know when I'm hooped. I heard Officer Scarlatti say he can't properly see what the bomb looks like, how are you supposed to disable it.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Trying to lighten the mood slightly]_Hey now. That's no way to talk about me... I'm a genius when it comes to bombs.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Lets out one snort of laughter]_ Okay Officer...let's see you work your genius.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Okay. Can you describe the bomb to me?

**Lisa Spinachi: **Not really. There this casing _[points to the bomb]_ around it but I can feel something sharp like nails digging into me.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Okay! Anything else?

**Lisa Spinachi: **There's something on my neck but I can't tell what it is._ [Touches it gingerly] _Maybe a dog collar.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Okay. I think I have an idea of what it could be.

**Lisa Spinachi: **That still doesn't help on how you are going to get it off me though, does it? _[Pointing to the wires]_ The outside one must be motion sensitive. The inside one must be sensitive to something in the bomb

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **But what if we could stop it from detonating all together by getting past the wires and such?

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Shocked and scared]_ You want to try something? But what about all of these people_? [waving at the people being evacuated]_ What if I do detonate? I don't want to hurt anyone. _[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti gets up and heads towards the van]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Lisa don't worry no one is going to get hurt. [Pause] Would you like us to call your family?

**Lisa Spinachi: **My dad doesn't need the stress. He's had two strokes in the past six months I don't want to kill him.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **What about your mother?

**Lisa Spinachi: **She died when I was ten.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[Digging]_ Siblings? Friends?

**Lisa Spinachi:** _[Getting edgy] _Got none and during what time can I make friends? I eat, sleep, work and go to school. No time for fun and therefore no time for friends.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Okay Lisa. I'll be right back _[Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan follows Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti to the van]_

[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti enters the truck and turns to Gregory 'Sarge' Parker and Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth]

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[To Gregory 'Sarge' Parker in the van]_ It looks like a re-wired suicide jacket. The detonator I think is connected to a remote control electric dog collar and a wire motion detector. Without being able to go near her we need to find the guy. Any luck with the speaker?

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **None yet. It appears to be a baby monitor but we haven't been able to patch into the receiver so we don't know where it is coming from. We can't jam the signal for the remote either, because it'll jam the baby-monitor and we won't be able to find the guy.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **That's if it even is connected to the dog collar. It's possible that the dog collar has nothing to do with it at all. It might be a time bomb.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Okay. We'll leave it open for now but at 5:30 we're going to have to jam it Wordy. We can't risk this girl's life. _[Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan enters]_ How goes it Jules?

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **To be honest Sarge, she seems pretty despondent. She doesn't want to hurt or worry anyone. She refuses to let us tell her father and she insists she doesn't have any friends. In my opinion she's showing symptoms of depression. We better get Dr. Luria on the phone.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **We have to give her something to live for or else she isn't going to help us at all.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **She won't let us talk to her father. I guess he's had a stroke recently and she says she doesn't want to bring on another one so scratch family.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Have you tried to appeal to her as a woman? Tap into her emotions.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Sarge, I mean this in the best possible way but she is used to being a man. She specifically told me that she was off work to get ready for a party she's hosting for a family friend and she wanted to make a good impression... this is the first time since high school she's even tried to look nice. She is not going to relate to me better because she is genetically XX.

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **Hey guys, Kira just sent over our girls info. She is an upstanding citizen. Lives with her step-father. Credit rating is good. Works for city sanitation. Takes night classes at George Brown ... _[Pauses]_ Christ she's only twenty-six. There is nothing that jumps off the page as being a target for this.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **_[Taking out phone]_ I'll see if Dr. Luria can go interview the guys she works with and maybe her professors. Someone has to know something that we don't. This doesn't seem random. The level of skill and violence indicates a personal relation to the girl and we've got to find it.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[To Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Hey Spike she seemed to connect with you, could you help me out? She's beginning to shut me out.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Yeah sure.

_[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti walks back to Lisa Spinachi, who is still sitting in the center of the circle]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Hey Lisa, I'm going to need you to tell me everything that's happened the last couple of weeks that would make someone do this to you.

**Lisa Spinachi: **Listen. Nothing that out of the ordinary happened. My dad set me up on a "family" date that's the biggest news.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **"Family" date?

**Lisa Spinachi: **Yeah it's when he invites a nice boy to come over and we have dinner. How Italian can you get?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Yeah I know what you mean. My mom set me up on a blind date. Typical Italians.

**Lisa Spinachi: **What is with that? I actually had to turn down a real date with a boy from my psych class because of this stupid "family" date.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Casually]_ How did the boy take it?

**Lisa Spinachi: **He moped about but what can you do, family before romance. _[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti exchanges a look with Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan who turns and walks a short distance away]_ What? Wait you don't think Peter had anything to do with this? He's nice a bit shy but nice. He would never do anything like this.

_[Close up on Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan talking into her head set. Micahel 'Spike' Scarlatti and Lisa Spinachi are still visible behind her]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **Hey Sarge when Dr. Luria does a tour of the school ask her to ask about a Peter in her psychology class. Seems she recently rejected him in favour of a family dinner. Not sure how he might have taken it.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **_[Voice over]_ Right. I'll tell her to ask.

_[Inside the George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology. Doctor Amanda Luria is talking to Professor Hadley in the professor's office]_

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **So what type of student was Lisa?

**Professor Hadley: **She was the student that wanted to do something with her life. Always very serious.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **Did she have any friends in the class? Anyone she talked to?

**Professor Hadley: **Not really. She wasn't very verbose. She talked to everyone but there are only fifteen of us in the class. She talked when she was asked a question, never anymore than was required.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **What was her relationship to ... Peter?

**Professor Hadley: **Ah Peter. Peter O'Malley. He's a little strange. Brilliant but strange. He took a shining to Lisa but I think that was because he felt they had something in common, they were outsiders. He hasn't been in class for the week... Come to think of it the last time I saw him he was in a heated argument with Lisa. I overheard that he had asked her on a date and she had refused._[Pause, reflectively] _Yes, I remember thinking that I would need to call security because he was trying to corner her against her car. It looked like he was trying to kiss her. But before I could do anything she ... disarmed him.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **What do you mean disarmed him?

**Professor Hadley: **She kneed him in the groin, got in her car and drove away.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **Thanks Professor Hadley.

[Outside _the George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology. Doctor Amanda Luria is on her cell phone to Gregory 'Sarge' Parker]_

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **Yes, she was in a violent encounter with Peter.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **How violent?

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **She kneed him in the groin and drove away after he tried to kiss her.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Thanks doctor. _[To Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti via his headset]_ Hey Spike talk to her about this Peter character I guess they got in a violent encounter last week. It culminated with her kneeing him in the groin. _[To Edward 'Ed' Lane via the head set]_ Eddie you and Sam go check out Peter O'Malley's residence. 160 Kendall Ave, Room C317.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **Got it Sarge.

_[Outside with Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti and Lisa Spinachi]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **So Lisa how come you lied to us?

**Lisa Spinachi: **What? I didn't lie.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Let's talk about Peter again. You said that he moped when you refused to go out with him.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Defensive]_Yeah, he did.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **You seemed to miss the part where you kneed him in the happysack after he tried to kiss you.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Angry]_ Now you're getting mad at me because I protected myself? Unbelievable. Yeah I kneed him where the sun don't shine but do you know why? He was trying to convince me to sleep with him. I rejected his date for today so he said that we could _[finger quotes] _"have some fun back at his place". I may not look like it but I am sure as hell a lady when it comes to the affairs of the bedroom.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **This could be motive.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Yelling]_ He's not a serious threat. His nineteen, a child. Just a mixed up child. Where would he get his hands on this _[waves to the suicide jacket]_ material?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **It's really not that hard. By the time I left high school I could have created one of those _[Pointing to the jacket]._

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Desperately]_ But it can't be him... he's not that kind of person.

_[Move to Peter O'Malley's apartment where Edward 'Ed' Lane and Sam Braddock are looking around. Sam Braddock has an explosive sniffer]_

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **[On his cell phone to Gregory 'Sarge' Parker] Hey Sarge this place looks like RadioShack dismantled. Plus we've found trace of C4 this is defiantly the guy who did this.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Good work. Search the place to see if there is any hint of where he might be hiding.

**Sam Braddock: **Man I was rejected a few times but I never tried to kill anyone.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **It's all about pride, Sam. She beat him down to size, from what it sounds like, in front of his peers. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel's back. From what the doctor relayed the kid was an outsider.

**Sam Braddock: **Well his apartment sure isn't suited for company of any kind.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **The final act of humiliation for him was being rejected by the girl he loved.

_[Back to Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti and Lisa Spinachi]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Talking into his head piece]_ Okay thanks Sarge. _[Talking to Lisa Spinachi]_ It looks like we were right, Peter O'Malley is behind this. Is there anything about this guy that you haven't already told us?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I don't know. Nothing sticks out. He was just another guy in my class. He was smart but "Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard."

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Confused slightly]_What?

**Lisa Spinachi: **That last bit was 'The Unknown Citizen'. It's all about how we can find every bit of statistical information about a person yet not know them at all. _[Pause]_ That's all I know, statistics. He was smart. He was from Sault Ste Marie. He was nineteen. The list goes on but nothing I can tell you will give you anything you couldn't look up.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **What about when he was talking to you? Did he say anything weird?

**Lisa Spinachi: **He asked me to sleep with him. That's weird in my book, no one has asked me before.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **I mean other than that.

**Lisa Spinachi: **At the start of the semester when he heard I worked in the garbage business he asked me to bring him some old electronics that he could dismantle. I brought him a couple small things like cell phones, baby monitors, crap like that every so often and he would pay me.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **So he was your friend?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I never thought of him like that. He was a way to pay the mortgage, put gas in the car, eat. If he saw it as something more I never cottoned on. _[Pause, continues angry at herself]_ God its always been the same I never get it. I have irredeemable crushes on the guys who hate me and blow off the guys that like me. Maybe _[pauses, continues reflective]_ maybe I don't deserve to go on. This is the perfect opportunity. I've always been too scared to do it myself but suicide by proxy is something I can do.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Lisa, no. Suicide is not the answer. You've got plenty to live for.

**Lisa Spinachi: **I live I go back to working my butt off at work and school. Family dates and a mortgage. I'm twenty-six and I haven't made an impact on anyone. I guess one into the cement is better than none at all.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Listen I know how you feel...

**Lisa Spinachi: **Do you? You save lives for a living, you're remembered.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Look I take off the uniform and I'm just another Italian that lives with his parents. No one remembers me they remember the uniform.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **_[Over the headset]_ Good Spikey. Connect with her.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Listen we all have off days. Sometimes it's hard to see the bright patches but their there.

**Lisa Spinachi: **It's much easier to say that on the other side of the circle. _[Pause]_ Get everyone out of the area. I'll end it. No harm no foul. No one loses money. No one gets hurt.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **What about you?

**Lisa Spinachi: **Listen I died shortly after leaving high school. What does it matter if I'm no longer physically here?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **What about your father? What'll he do?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I have life insurance. That should cover him for a while. After that my cousin can take after him. If I could see any other way I would take it, but this is best all round.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Hang in there. Let us do our job.

**Lisa Spinachi: **Okay but at 5:59 I'm going to take it into my own hands.

_[Switches between Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti enters the truck with Gregory 'Sarge' Parker and Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth and Doctor Amanda Luria stuck in rush hour traffic]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[In the truck]_ We need Dr. Luria down here A.S.A.P. She's suicidal. She actually wants to die and she's not giving us any more info about Peter.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Best we can do is over the phone. It's five o'clock and she got caught in rush hour downtown. _[Dialling]_ Doctor we've got a problem. The girl's not being helpful Spike thinks she's suicidal.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **Okay Spike you've got to give her something to live for. Anything.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **But Doc she has every last detail planned out. She's given us nothing that she wants to live for.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **What about family?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **All I've gotten is that her father can be cared for by her cousin in case anything happens to her. She has given me nothing. She doesn't want us to find this guy.

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **She feels responsible for this happening. You have to convince her it's not her fault this has happened.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Okay. How exactly?

**Doctor Amanda Luria: **You have to convince her that one mistake doesn't make the world fall down. Try and make her think that people will miss her if she's gone.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **I'll try doc but Ed and Sam better have something because she's pretty far gone. _[Hangs up]_

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Use your charisma Spike.

_[Sam Braddock and Edward 'Ed' Lane are searching Peter O'Malley's apartment]_

**Sam Braddock: **Hey Ed, look at this! _[Shows Edward 'Ed' Lane a map of Toronto with several places circled] _Gheez this looks like most of the places the girl goes to. School, work, home. And theirs lists of arrival and departure times.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **_[nodding while looking at a scrap of paper]_ Look at this. Lisa- Day Off –Friday. _[Pause]_ He knew she had the day off.

**Sam Braddock: **_[Jiggles the mouse on the only working computer]_ Man, it's password protected. Better get tech down here.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **They'll take too long _[Walks over]_ Let me try. [_punches the letter as he speaks] _L-I-S-A. _[Everything opens, the background is a fuzzy picture of Lisa Spinachi getting out of her car, Edward 'Ed' Lane opens up day planner] _Hhm this guy seems pretty anal about what he does maybe he left some hint as to where he's hiding.

**Sam Braddock: **_[Taking out cell phone]_ I'm calling Sarge about the map. _[talking into his cell phone to Gregory 'Sarge' Parker]_ Hey Sarge we found a map at this guy's place. Seems he's been stalking her for a while. Right now she's sitting outside what he calls 'Anita's place' Every Friday she stops by there at about 12:30

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Has he been stalking her more than a week?

**Sam Braddock: **I think so. The lists are pretty extensive, like he's been following her for a while.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Great thanks Sam.

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **_[Yelling] _Woah, woah. I got something.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **_[Over the phone]_ What is it Eddie?

**Edward 'Ed' Lane: **_[Taking Sam Braddock's phone]_ For right now he has an address in his day planner. It's a high rise three blocks away and it says visiting Kyle.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **_[Over the phone]_ Great I'll have Kira run a background check and then get Jules and Lou to check it out. _[Hangs up, Talking over his head piece]_ Spike, the girl's got it all wrong. Peter's been stalking her for quite a while, way longer than since she rejected him. She is not responsible.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Lisa. We just found evidence that Peter has been stalking you for a long time. He's obsessed with you. Whether you rejected him last week or if you did sleep with him as soon as you would have tried to leave something similar would have probably happened. It is not your fault it is his. _[pause] _Are you sure there is nothing you can tell us that you haven't already?

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Flustered]_ Uhh. I'm not sure if it's really important but his idea of a date was inviting me to his cousin's place for a double date. I think he said his cousin was Kyle and that he lived a few blocks from here.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Thank you _[Into his headset]_ Sarge, a cousin Kyle has a house around here he might be lying low there.

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **Didn't his day planner say he was meeting Kyle right about now?

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Good work Spike. Lou, Jules we've got a primary on where Peter might be right now. Apartment building on Blue Grass Way, apartment 708. Move. _[Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young jump in a SUV and with lights on drive to the base of an apartment building]_

_[Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young arrive at the apartment on Blue Grass Way, jump out of the SUV and enter the building. They talk to the security guard who is behind a desk in the front lobby]_

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **_[Talking to the security guard]_ Hey who lives in 708.

**Security Guard:** Uh. _[checking computer]_ Kyle O'Malley. But he's not here at the moment. Left yesterday to visit his family.

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **You seen this guy _[Holding up her cell phone with Peter O'Malley's picture on it]_

**Security Guard:** Uh yeah he came in to visit someone pretty early this morning.

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **Were going to need the keys to apartment 708.

**Security Guard:** _[Confused]_ Don't you need a warrant or something?

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **_[A little angrily]_ Listen. There's a girl three blocks away with a bomb strapped to her chest that is going to blow in five minutes. The guy who is holding the controls might be in 708 so just give us the key. We have no problem with breaking down the door.

**Security Guard:** _[Harried]_ Okay, okay. _[Hands them the keys, Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young run to the elevator and punch seven]_

_[Back to Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti talking to Lisa Spinachi]_

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[To Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Thank you Officer Scarlatti but the time is coming to an end and I am assuming you have not put together the money. I don't want to hurt anyone else. Could you and the rest of you back out of the blast radius?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Alarmed] _You said we have until 5:59?

**Lisa Spinachi: **And I promise I won't step out of the circle until then but you won't have enough time to run if you wait until the last second.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Have faith in the people I work with.

**Lisa Spinachi: **I'm a failed Catholic converted to existentialism. I don't have faith. I respect your faith in the people you work with but I don't believe in it. _[Pleading]_ Please back up I don't want to hurt you.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Lisa were not leaving.

_[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young running down the hallway]_

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Still pleading]_ Move. It's 5:59

_[Switch to the truck]_

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **Thirty seconds and counting

_[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young outside apartment 708]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[Knocking hard]_ Peter O'Malley! SRU. _[Nods to Lewis 'Lou' Young who puts the key in the lock]_

[_Switch to Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti and Lisa Spinachi]_

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **_[Counting off screen]_ eighteen, seventeen, sixteen... _[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young entering the apartment. They see Peter O'Malley]_ fifteen, fourteen, thirteen... _[Switch to the truck. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker and Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth looking worried]_ twelve, eleven, ten... _[Switch to Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan and Lewis 'Lou' Young]_

**Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan: **_[yelling, levelling her gun]_ Put the remote down now.

**Peter O'Malley: **_[Calmly]_ What do you wanna bet I can blow her up before you get a shot off? [Switch to the truck with Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth and Gregory 'Sarge' Parker]

**Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth: **three, two, one _[Switch to a close up of everyone's face in quick succession, An echoing crack is heard]_

**Lewis 'Lou' Young: **_[Leaning over Peter O'Malley clutching his hand, talking on the phone]_ Were clear_. [ Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan can be seen locking the remote in a metal box]_

_[Switch to the truck, Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth and Gregory 'Sarge' Parker take a deep breath]_

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Spike, were clear.

_[Back to Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti who has just cut the outside wire loop and is moving onto the inside loop carefully]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Okay. We got the guy. Let's get that thing off you.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Surprised]_ You got him? _[Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti goes to work extricating Lisa Spinachi from the suicide jacket] _

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Cracking a smile]_ Don't act so surprised. Sometimes it's good to have a little bit of faith.

_[Goes silent. You can lip read Lisa Spinachi saying thank you to Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti. Lewis 'Lou' Young climbs into the ambulance as Peter O'Malley is taken away in it. Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan watches. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker and Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth clean up in the truck. Gregory 'Sarge' Parker is on the phone. Edward 'Ed' Lane and Sam Braddock leave the messy apartment. All the while a song about faith plays. Lisa Spinachi leaves the SRU and catches a cab home.]_

_[SRU headquarters with all of the SRU members]_

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[stretching]_ Well I need to get home. Family thing.

**Gregory 'Sarge' Parker: **Right we'll finish writing this up tomorrow. Good night all.

_[A random jumble of 'see you tomorrow' and 'good nights' ensue from Edward 'Ed' Lane, Lewis 'Lou' Young, Kevin 'Wordy' Wordsworth, Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan, Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti, Sam Braddock]_

_[The Scarlatti Residence. Maria Scarlatti is being pernickety about the state of Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti's shirt] _

**Maria Scarlatti:** I just called Frank to say we'd be running a little behind. [_Looks as Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Oh Michael, don't you know how to use and iron?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Ma it's not like were meeting the Pope. It's a causal dinner party you said.

**Joseph Scarlatti:** One we're going to be late for if we don't leave now.

_[Them walking up a doorstop, Maria Scarlatti rings the doorbell and Frank Rossi opens the door]_

**Frank Rossi:** Maria and Joseph, nice to see you. _[Waving them in, looking at Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Come in. Michael, you've grown a lot since I've seen you last.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Cracking a smile]_I hope so. Last time I saw you I was in high school. How's George doing?

**Frank Rossi:** _[Shrugs his shoulders]_ Ah she had a hard day at work, I think she's downstairs being anti-social as usual.

**Maria Scarlatti:** _[Looking at Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti]_ Michael, why don't you go down and talk to her? See if you can get her to come up.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Whispering to Maria Scarlatti] _That's it isn't you want to set me up with George?

**Frank Rossi:** Just go down and talk to her, please Michael. She always liked you.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Fine. I'll see what I can do. _[Goes downstairs, Television's on, girl curled in front of it watching a sitcom and eating chocolate chips]_ Hey George. It's me Mike, you know from high school.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Turns around, blanching]_ Officer Scarlatti?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Lisa Spinachi?

**Lisa Spinachi: **What are you doing here?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Looking confused]_Old man Rossi, invited my parents and me to dinner.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Let's out a snort]_Go figure.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Looking confused]_What are you doing here?

**Lisa Spinachi: **I live here.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **You told us your name was Lisa Spinachi

**Lisa Spinachi: **And it is_.[Looks at her funny]_ Mom had me in her first marriage and Georgia is my middle name. No one used to call me Lisa 'cause I hated the name. Too girly. By the time you met me everyone called me George Rossi but it's not my legal name.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **Your dad said you had a hard day at work.

**Lisa Spinachi: **I didn't want to worry him. I said I got called in because three guys got sick.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **What about the news?

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Jokingly]_He refuses to listen or watch it since it told him Elvis died on the can.

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **But that means you're going to be stuck in your dad's basement eating chocolate chips for a long time because you have no one to talk to. You need to talk to your father.

**Lisa Spinachi: **_[Face falters]_But I'm scared to._ [Begins to cry for the first time] _I nearly died out there. I nearly killed people. People I didn't even know because I accidently snubbed a guy I go to school with. How can I face my father with that?

**Michael 'Spike' Scarlatti: **_[Sitting down beside her]_ You just go and tell him. _[He looks at her]_ It's not your fault, you're a victim and all you need is a friend _[short pause]_, maybe a psychiatrist, to help you through the rough patch. _[Puts his arm around her and pulls her in and she begins to cry on his front] [Looks at the TV] _So what are we watching?

_[Zoom out to see Frank Rossi, Maria Scarlatti and Joseph Scarlatti peeking at them from the basement door]_


	2. Scars and Burns

_**A continuation of the tales of Michael "Spike" Scarlatti and Lisa "George" Spinachi. Takes place directly after "Perfect Storm". Sorry but I couldn't continue the script like text.**_

Maria Scarlatti was getting worried. Michael was never late when Millefoglie was on for dessert. Joseph was in the living room watching re-runs of the Red Green show which meant it was well past 8:30. Michael always called, even when he was on the job to say if he would be late. Maria grabbed the cordless phone and dialled the SRU headquarters.

"Toronto Strategic Response. How can we direct your call?" chirped the voice on the other end.

"I need to speak to Michael Scarlatti." Maria started calmly.

"Officer Scarlatti signed out almost four hours ago, ma'am."

Maria's heart began to race, "Greg Parker then, if he's there."

"One moment please." Soothing music came over the line but did nothing to calm Maria. The line crackled and nothing could be heard but dead air for a split second.

"Hello. Greg Parker. Speaking?"

"Mr. Parker, this is Maria Scarlatti calling. Michael hasn't been home yet and I was wondering if you knew where he is?

"You mean he's not home." Came the puzzled voice, intensifying Maria's dread.

"No"

"He left ages ago. Said he was going home. Even turned down going to the bar with Lou and Sam. I'll phone around and see if anyone else has seen him."

"Thank you Mr. Parker." And she hung up the phone her hear racing.

~*~

Spike sat at the bus stop staring at the ants on the sidewalk, thinking about the events of the day. He couldn't face the car pool, the bar or his parents at this moment. It was all too much. He felt his cell phone vibrate. Obviously his mother. He ignored it. After a few more minutes of waiting for a bus that seemed to be very behind Spike started walking. Not to anywhere just started walking. His feet carried him with no conscious effort until he reached the place of his minds haunting: Father Bressani Catholic High School, his high school. He scaled the fence and went to his favourite haunt, a big tree with a place at the base of the trunk just big enough for one person to sit and hide. He leaned his head back against the bark and closed his eyes. It was getting dark and he knew he was late for dinner but he couldn't face people right now.

He heard someone clear their throat and his eyes flew open. It was George. She looked really worried.

"Mike are you okay?" she started biting her lip. She sat down next to him.

"How did you find me?" He asked, surprised.

"Your Mom called and asked if you were at my place and I knew I had seen you on the news at the school shooting." She looked up at the brick building." You can remove the person from the high school but you can't remove the high school from the person. I knew you'd be here."

Spike looked into her earnest face and he saw the same pain he felt reflected in her face. Tears started to leak from his eyes. "I remember my first day in this hell. I was fourteen, short, had a lisp and bad acne. I accidently ran into a popular sophomore and it was the beginning of the end. Two years I went through hell here. I sat here everyday at lunch praying that they wouldn't find me today. I still have the scars from one beating, where a clawed ring scratched me." Spike lifted up his t-shirt and on the left side of his chest were long white scars. He let his shirt fall. His tears were falling in earnest now. George shuffled closer and put her arm around his shoulders. "I was so happy in grade eleven when you came. They stopped picking on me as much. I guess they found a new target." He took a shuddering breath, "it is always hard to look at a bullied kid who did something like this and not think how close I came to ..." He trailed off. "If they hadn't stopped I probably would have. Thank God they found a new target."

George let out a snort, her eyes welling up with tears. Spike looked at her and she freed her arm and looked at him. "I was the freak that lived with her Dad and no Mom. I had big glasses and worse acne than you. The girls all exiled me and I made friends with you, an outsider. In grade nine I got invited to a party and I really wanted some girl friends so I went." She shifted slightly so he could see her back and lifted her shirt. Red circles covered her lower back and receded down her jeans. He reached out an touched one and George jumped a little and allowed her shirt to fall back down. "Ninety-two cigarette burns because I was different. And it only got worse. I was the new target."

"But why didn't you say something?"

"Mike I knew you were bullied to no end. If I had told you, you would have done something and one person being bullied bad is better than two."

"You did that for me?"

"Mike, you were my only friend. I would have moved the world for you to remain my friend." She paused and blushed scarlet, "Also I had a huge crush on you."

"What?"

"Yeah but I could never work up the nerve to tell you. With most of the school population telling you that you are crap it's pretty easy to get down on yourself." Spike laughed and George blushed a deeper shade of scarlet. "What?"

"I was sweet on you in high school 'cause you were nice to me but I could never tell you I was scared that you were too cool for me." George let out a giggle.

"Me too cool for the guy who now wears the 'cool pants'?" Giggled George.

"Me too good for the pure altruist?" Countered Spike.

"We should get going your Mom is going to be completely freaked"

Spike hopped to his feet and pulled George to hers. Then in a moment of passion he kissed her, long and hard, like he should have done back when they actually attended this high school.

~*~

Greg pulled up to the area where Spike's cell phone GPS indicated he was. Scanning the high school field he spotted him in a loving kiss with a familiar looking girl.

"Well I get we know why he didn't make home for dinner." Joked Greg to himself as he took out his phone to tell Mrs. Scarlatti her son had been found


	3. Embarassment and Ultimatums

**_The story of George Spinachi and Spike Scarlatti takes a dubious twist begging the question: Is it worth it._**

The Wordy express, a.k.a. a minivan, pulled up to the Scarlatti house and honked its horn. Spike could see Ed, Wordy and Lou waiting in the van as he got up off the front step, with the bagged lunch his mother packed for him in his hand. As he entered the van he instantly became suspicious, all the guys were smirking as if they had only just stopped laughing at a joke taken out at his expense.

When he was buckled up and they were speeding away to Tim Horton's Lou turned to him and asked with a Cheshire cat smile, "So how was your evening?"

Ed and Wordy, who had been discussing whether or not they should 'scorpio' the manager of the Leafs stopped and turned ever so slightly to hear his answer.

Spike's palms began to sweat. Typically dating people you rescue is against the rules but he had known George well before they ran into her as Lisa. However, distinctions could not always be drawn like that, so he decided to lie.

"It was pretty good. Nothing to write home about"

"Mhmm," started Ed "obviously it wasn't your Mom must have phoned us each twenty times last night asking if we had seen you."

"Yeah Shelly said she sounded on the verge of a breakdown..." added Wordy

"Which begs the question 'where were you last night?'" concluded Lou

"I was in a bad head space. I just needed to walk" said Spike looking out the window.

The quiet lasted until they had loaded up on coffee and were speeding away to the SRU headquarters. This time Ed turned around from the front seat and said to Spike, "Did you go on this walk alone?" Lou and Wordy both let out a snort of laughter making Spike extremely suspicious.

"Yeah I was all by myself?"

"Then was Sarge just hallucinating when he saw you at your old high school kissing a girl?" Smirked Wordy in a voice only a father of three girls could have upon learning someone was kissing someone else. Spike looked flabbergasted.

"Spike and..." Lou began in a sing song voice before turning to Spike and asking, "what's her name?" All three were looking at him with baited breath, as if daring him to lie to them again.

"Her name is ... George." Spike said after a moment's hesitation "She an old friend from high school."

"George?! What kind of name is George for a girl?" wondered Wordy out loud as Lou and Ed broke into a rousing chorus of 'Spike and George sitting in a tree'.

Lou, Ed and now Wordy were all still singing as when they got to the SRU headquarter and Spike sprinted to the locker room to avoid the haunting strains of the childish song. He knew if he had just told them he was with a girl nothing would have gone wrong and they would have just blown it off as usual. They'd never teased him too much before. Sam and the Sarge were already in the locker room and judging by the grin that spread across Sam's face, Sarge had told him about what he had seen last night.

"So what's her name?" cajoled the Sarge. Sam's smile grew larger.

"It's George!" Shouted Ed as he and the other two Stooges arrived.

"Oh thank you Mr. Lane, why don't you broadcast it to the world?" Spike replied in a drippingly sarcastic voice and giving a fake little clap. The loud speaker crackled.

"Could Officer Scarlatti please come to reception. Officer Scarlatti, reception."

Puzzled Spike headed to reception doing up the final few buttons on his shirt as he turned the corner and saw Winnie at front reception. She pointed to the post beside the conference room. George was standing there in her coveralls and a baseball cap and holding a brown bag.

"Hi Mike. Stopped by your place this morning to pick up the casserole dish and your Mom asked me to rush this to you on my way to work." She handed him the brown paper bag. He looked at her, confused. "She accidentally gave you the compost bag so unless you like coffee grounds and eggs shells for lunch you better take it. He peeked in the bag and saw a ham sandwich, a juice box and a slice of Millefoglie.

"Thanks George." He felt awkward. "Uh, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink tonight."

"Sure" replied George also looking a little embarrassed. All of a sudden Ed came up behind them.

"Well Officer Scarlatti, aren't you going to introduce us" He waved at the rest of the team as it, much to Spike's displeasure, appeared around them. George tugged her cap down a little bit, hiding her face more effectively.

"I'm George Rossi." Said George extending a hand to Ed who was a little taken a back. But he quickly gained back his swagger upon confirming that this was in fact the George that Spike had kissed yesterday.

"Well George" said Lou emphasizing the word 'George' "how would you like to join us for a drink tonight."

"Tonight?" she said apparently thinking hard, "Sorry, I've got other plans." Lou looked disappointed, "Maybe another night? Well I'd better be off." And she walked past the Ed only to run smack into Jules. Jules looked closely at her and let out a gasp of surprise. George muttered apologies and practically ran for the exit.

Spike braced himself for all hell to come loose. Jules had been the only other one to get really close to George when she was held hostage. The minute Jules rounded on Spike, making him feel small despite the fact that he towered over her.

"Lisa Spinachi? You are dating Lisa Spinachi?" She said dangerously.

"Wait, you mean that apathetic girl from a few months back?" Started Lou

"But she said her name was George Rossi." Said Sam slowly.

Spike let out a grimace, "Her legal name is Lisa Georgia Spinachi. Spinachi is her given name but she lives with her step-father named Rossi and hated having a girls first name, hence George."

The Sarge looked as close to being livid as was possible. "Officer Scarlatti, you know the rules on dating a former hostage."

"Sarge, she was my only friend in high school, well before a couple months ago when she became a hostage."

"Rules are there to protect us, Spike" continued Greg.

"Protect us from what? Love? Happiness?" declaimed Spike, his decibel level rising. "What do you want us all to be miserable ex-sots like yourself? Wanting nothing more than exact things we can't have!"

Instantly Spike knew he had gone too far. The colour in Parker's face was rising and the rest of the team had quietly dispersed.

"I will not take insubordination, Officer Scarlatti. You are on a twenty-four hour suspension and when you return you will have decided whether love or the SRU is more important to you. Do you understand?"


	4. Ideas and Questions

**_Okay this is the next chapter in the trials and tribulations of Lisa 'George' Spinachi and Mike 'Spike' Scarlatti. Not really great at writing about romance so help/ideas would be appreciated. _**

The choice between love and livelihood was a hard one to make. On the one hand he loved George with all his heart but on the other he loved his job as well. Gawky and acne ridden as he had been in high school the SRU was the first place he felt he belonged.

Spike dug out his cell phone from his pocket and sent a text to George. He'd not told her of his temporary suspension. He typed in the address of a Timmies and followed by ' 6:30'. He arrived at the Tim Horton's at five after six and she was already there sipping a drink. He ordered a coffee and then crossed to her table.

"Mike, I thought you only got off at six why so early?" declaimed George as he sat across from her.

"I was suspended today." Spike said shortly.

"What! Why?" exclaimed George.

Spike looked uncomfortable but continued, "Jules recognized you and the Sarge blew a gasket. It's against the rules to date a former hostage and..." he faded off.

George looked pained, "Mike, I'm so sorry. We can go back to being friends again, its no problem. I know how much that job means to you. Whenever you talk about it you light up like when you used to talk about chemistry in school. I couldn't take that away from you."

"But George, I can't leave you now that I have finally got you. Did you know that I am a serial dater. I've never had a relationship that lasts more than a month but I've known and loved you for years." He hung his head, "Why does it have to be so hard to choose?"

"I believe the reason is because you can't always get what you want." Said a cryptic voice from behind Spike. He spun around and saw Lou and Sam standing behind him. They scooted into the booth, Lou beside George and Sam beside Spike. Lou turned to George and continued by saying "Hi we met earlier I'm Lou Young." He shook her hand.

"And I'm Sam Braddock." Added also shaking her hand.

Spike was not in the mood to be ragged on by his friends, "Is there any particular reason why you are here or is it simply to bask in my stupidity."

Lou smirked, "Usually we don't mix business and pleasure but this is a bit of both."

"We just wanted to get the story straight from the horse's mouth about you two and then we might be willing to share a little plan we have about how love and work and survive together." Smiled Sam.

George twitched a little uncomfortably but looked at them and then asked, "So you're going to help us if we tell you stuff about us?" Lou nodded. George looked at Spike for a fleeting moment and then said "What do you want to know?"

Lou shifted to look at her better and asked "If you didn't meet during the hostage situation then where did you meet?"

George thought back, "We met on the first day of my grade nine year, Mike's eleventh. He accidently dropped his lock on my head because I had the locker under his that year."

Sam looked a little taken aback, "That's not the typical romantic story."

"This coming from a man whose met his last girlfriend when with multiple weapons levelled on him at the sight of a hostage situation gone awry." Added Spike. Sam shrugged.

Lou glossed over them and then said to Spike, "Before the hostage situation when was the last time you two saw each other?"

"Uhh I think it was the night of George's graduation from grade thirteen. We went out for a drink. After that we just drifted apart. Went on two different paths. Sent each other Christmas cards not much else." Plied Spike.

"Yeah about seven years ago was the last time we saw each other." Added George.

Lou looked between Spike and George before continuing in a rush, "Have you gone all the way yet?"

George blushed scarlet and Spike rounded on Lou. "What the hell kinda question is tha..."

"No" inserted George before the shouting match got out of hand. "We only kissed yesterday."

"Okay," started Sam "then we could spin this in your favour. You tell Sarge that you weren't really going out with her. Passions run amok, blah, blah, blah, just one kiss, blah, blah, blah, that it meant nothing."

"Great that's how I get my job back but how do I..." he gestured at George "without Sarge finding out?"

"Lie about it. That's how Jules and I got through it." Suggested Sam.

"Yeah and everyone knew about it by the end." Countered Spike.

"Well as long as you don't say anything, have any pictures or do anything suspicious it should be fine." Started Lou "If anyone asks you have a new girlfriend, make up excuses. Have the fake name pop up when George phones. As long as you don't slip up it should be fine. It's not like Sarge has a great social life so you won't run the risk of running into him too often outside of the SRU"

"Yeah you can totally make it work" added Sam "It's not like me and Jules, George is never 'round the station. It's completely private."

"Okay, it could work" Spike looked at George, who nodded her assent.

"Of course as long as neither of you go all Marcus Brutus on us?" amended George.

"You Italians and your obsession with ancient history." Chuckled Lou as he and Sam left the secret lovebirds be.


	5. Are You Free, Mr Scarlatti?

_"The only sure thing about luck is that it will change" –Bret Harte_

The air had cleared after Spike's outbreak at Greg and equilibrium had found its way back to the SRU, or at least as much as it possibly could. As far as Greg knew Spike was dating a girl named Stephanie but as Sam and Lou knew Stephanie was really George. As luck would have had it Greg and Jules, Spike's two main adversaries in this case, managed had not yet discovered the ruse allowing things to go much smoother.

The same could not be said on the home front. Living in your parents basement, while being the Italian thing to do, is not conducive to privacy as Spike knew. When he was fifteen he had hidden a 'Playboy' underneath his neighbours trash bins and his mother had found and destroyed it within the hour. So when Maria Scarlatti had found both of them almost literally with their pants down the whole neighbourhood knew that Michael Scarlatti had a girlfriend.

This lack of privacy had meant that consummation of their relationship had not come yet because the good Catholic's that the older Scarlatti and Rossi clans were did not allow pre-marital relations to take place under their roof's and had lead to surveillance of the couple that put the SRU to shame. This is how George and Spike came to be snuggling on Spike's couch while "watching" 'Are You Being Served?' when a knock came from Spike's private entrance. The couple stopped and Spike called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Sarge, Spike" Came back the dreaded voice of Greg Parker "I want to talk to you about something."

"Uh, one second Sarge, let me get decent." Spike shouted and motioned for George to leave via the door that connected Spike's suite to his parents. She tried the door but it was locked from the other side. Fear flitted across Spike and George's faces as they locked eyes. Then in a moment of understanding George dove under the couch and Spike unbolted the door. Standing on the stoop was Greg and a six pack of coke.

"What a surprise Sarge." Breathed Spike as he glanced at the couch and realized that a person couldn't see George hiding under it. "What brings you to Woodbridge?"

"I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke out against your relationship with Lisa Spinachi. I'm not saying I'm wrong, I'm just saying I shouldn't have put it so harshly."

"It's water under the bridge, Sarge. I guess I should apologize for what I said. I wasn't having the best week and..." But Greg interrupted him with a waving gesture of his hand.

"You listened to my orders even though it was hard for you, for that I can overlook emotionally heated words. Quite frankly, I've been called worse by people in better situations." Spike began to feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. "That's why I'm here, a peace summit." Concluded Greg, waving the pop in front of Spike. Spike broke out in a sweat because he really didn't want to have the Sarge stay but if he kicked him out he might be insulted. So grudgingly Spike waved the Sarge onto George's hiding place and sat down and grabbed a Coke.

"So what are we watching?" asked the Sarge.

"It's an episode of 'Are You Being Served?'. You see Mr. Rumbold's wife" he pointed at her as she stormed across the picture, "thinks Mr. Rumbold's having an affair with his secretary and so he's hiding in the pullout bed while the rest of the people are trying to distract Mrs. Rumbold from that fact."

"Amazing and Mrs. Rumbold actually falls for all of their tricks?" questioned Greg.

"You'd be amazed how blind people can be." Answered Spike, holding in his nervous laughter.

The episode finished and another came on and next thing Spike knew it was after midnight and they had made their way through the pop and several bags of chips that Spike had resurrected. Greg was enjoying himself but Spike knew that George must be feeling more and more uncomfortable as she had been hiding under the couch for almost three hours.

All of a sudden the lock turned on the door leading to Spike's parents part of the house and Maria Scarlatti descended into Spike's lair declaiming, "Okay kids. Curfew!" and only stopped short when she saw Greg.

"Ma!" exclaimed Spike jumping up "Since when do I have a curfew?"

Greg struggled to his feet and wiped the chip crumbs off his shirt and pants. Maria looked suspiciously at Greg and asked, "Michael where is your Bella Donna?"

"She not here tonight, Ma" replied Spike carefully trying to communicate that she should drop the conversation.

"Then why is her car still parked around back?" asked Joseph Scarlatti, descending the stairs behind his wife. Greg gave Spike a look that suggested he'd be interested in hearing the answer as well.

"We had a few drinks and I walked her home. She's going to pick up the car tomorrow." Made up Spike.

"Uh, well I've got to get going Spike. See you on Monday!" inserted Greg feeling the tension rising between the two formidable opponents of mother and son. "Have a good evening Mr. and Mrs. Scarlatti."

Everyone waved until the door snapped shut behind Greg. Then Mrs. Scarlatti rounded on her son, "You have a curfew because you were nearly making the beast with two backs with George and you know what Father Santi said about it."

"But Ma this is the twenty-first century. It's what people do."

"Not in our house they don't." Concluded Joseph, marching up the stairs with Maria right behind him. The door shut and the lock turned and Spike could hear his parents heading up to their bedroom.

He exhaled heavily and looked under the couch. George was fast asleep. He crawled under the couch and kissed her passionately. She began to rouse.

"Ah my fair maiden awakes" Proclaimed Spike in his best, and corniest, English accent. She smiled and Spike backed out and helped her to her feet.

She looked at her watch and gasped, "Mike your parents are going to check on us any minute, I've got to go."

"Don't worry Georgie" started Spike, "while you were sleeping I told them we'd been drinking and that you had walked home." A smile played around his lips.

"Does that mean I can stay the night?" asked George coyly, a smile also appearing on her lips.

"We could go to bed, since you're so tired."

"Nah, I've slept long enough." Smiled George, "However, there is something else we could do involving your bed..." She pulled Spike forward by his belt buckle, innuendo shining in her eyes.

~*~

As Greg had left Spike's place he'd seen the boots by the door. They were work boots and they were way too small for Spike. He remembered seeing them on Lisa Spinachi a.k.a. George when she had dropped by the station a while back. This is what prompted him to double back and write down the license number of the car parked in the back drive of the Scarlatti house. Back at headquarters he had fed the numbers into the DMV database and whose name had popped up but Lisa Spinachi's a.k.a. George Rossi a.k.a. Spike's lie.


	6. Polygrahs and Truthes

**_The continuing epic of George and Spike...._**

The first heavy rainfall of the summer was in progress as Spike dug further into his bed, trying to catch a last few minutes of sleep before his alarm went off. His knee touched something warm and his eyes flew open. George was laying next to him, flat on her back staring intently at the cracks in the cement ceiling. Spike blinked and she stayed much to his disbelief. The events of last night were so surreal that he had been sure he had dreamt it but here was George laying in his bed, proof that it had not been a dream. She caught him staring at her and she turned on her side to face him.

"Did that actually happen last night?" she queried.

"I hope so because if it didn't I'm gonna have trouble passing my next psych evaluation." They both smiled. "You better get going if Ma catches you sneaking out of here it's going to spell our death." But George was already slipping into her jeans and shirt and had pulled her hair into a high pony tail.

"See you in a few", she smiled. And as Spike's alarm clock rang she crept out the door. Spike grabbed his boxers from the floor and slid into them and then headed towards the washer where his mother had left his freshly pressed uniform and street clothes the evening before. He was just pulling on his jeans when he heard the doorbell ring and the unmistakable shuffling feet of his father as he went to open the door. A few minutes later a knock came at the door that connected the basement to the main house and Spike opened it. It was his mother.

"Michael, George is here to pick up her car keys."

"Oh right!" exclaimed Spike, doing his best to feign surprise and seeing how his mother did not notice he congratulated himself on a job well done.

High tailing it up the stair with her keys, Spike put on a great show of presenting the keys to George in an overly corny manner. When the charade was over and George safely driving to work Spike sat at his parents square kitchen table and pulled a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch towards him and helped himself. His mother sat opposite him with a serious look on her face.

"What?" asked Spike, elongating the 'a' sound.

Maria Scarlatti clasped her hands in front of her, "Michael, you are 28 years old. Your younger sister is already married and with a child and we", she indicated her husband, who gruffly said he had to water the begonias, "were wondering if you are going to marry George?" Spike nearly inhaled his spoon and over the ensuing coughing fit Maria stated, "You have been going out with George for two months now, a record for you."

"Ma, it's too soon to ask her to marry me." Choked out Spike

"Oh tosh, I knew your father for two weeks before we decided to get married. You've known George for years if you include high school. There wasn't a day that you two weren't at each other's houses."

"That's different Mom..." Started Spike

"Michael, it comes down only to one thing in life. Do you love her?"

"MA"

"Do you love her?"

"This is ridiculous" Spike started as he got up.

"DO YOU LOVE HER?"

"YES, I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART. BUT IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT, MOM"

"How can love be complicated"

"There are rules at work and however much I love George I love my job too."

"Michael, we all make sacrifices for love. Love is not easy. Any way what could work have against George?"

"Mom do you remember me telling you about that girl who was strapped with a bomb in the middle of the street?" Maria nodded her head, "Well that was George. And work has a strict rule against dating former hostage victims."

Maria had one hand on her heart and one on her mouth. In this moment of speechlessness Spike grabbed his lunch from the counter, kissed his speechless mother on the cheek and headed to the front step to wait for the carpool. The Wordy Express pulled up and Spike hopped in the back in an uncharacteristically sour mood.

Lou turned to him, "Trouble in paradise, man?"

Spike cast a look at the front where Ed and Wordy were arguing loudly about hockey and then turned to Lou, "The Sarge stopped by my place last night when George was there."

Lou looked shocked, "You're kidding. What happened?"

"She hid under the couch for the three hours he was there. And then my Mom and Dad came down and I had to lie and say that George had already gone, which meant she couldn't leave last night."

"Spikey scored?"

"Yeah."

"Well then why do you look so pissed off?"

"My Mom wants me to marry George."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. And it's not like I haven't entertained the idea." Lou gave him a look, "Honestly" he said earnestly, "I love the girl I've known her for ages but I don't want to lose my job 'cause I love it too."

"Awh, Spike's in looove" came Ed's cat call from the front.

"Actually he's in trouble" Lou started, "His Mom wants him to marry soon."

"Seriously?" Asked Wordy, "I thought she would have trouble with Stephanie's multi-personality disorder."

"What!" Exclaimed Spike.

"Well when you were in the shower Ed here was flipping through your numbers and 'accidentally' phoned "Stephanie" only the girl on the other hand said that it was George speaking" smirked Wordy. Spike's mouth went dry.

Ed eyed him in the rear-view mirror, "Calm down Jules and the Sarge don't know... we have no problem with what you are doing. We know you knew her from high school."

"Oh crap! I'm screwed if Ed being nice to me" choked out Spike, near hysterics.

The van remained silent until the Tim Horton's and then the playful banter about hockey started again.

~*~

The team was waiting in the conference room when the Sarge walked in followed by balding man in a cheap suit. "No calls yet so the establishment would like everyone to that their annual polygraph." Started Sarge. Spike felt his stomach hit the floor, "As you know failure to pass your polygraph means that you will be put on desk duty and if you fail it again in a week's time you will be dropped from the force. Braddock, you're up first." Sam dragged himself to his feet and went with the balding man. 'Okay everyone else to the fitness room. And Wordy, no more sappy movies." Lou exchanged a glace with Spike.

Never before had Spike actually prayed for something horrible to happen but waiting for his turn at the polygraph he prayed the Hail Mary that something would happen. But, of course, it didn't. And all too soon the name Scarlatti rented the air and he left for the polygraph.

Polygraphs made Spike nervous to begin with, being strapped up with wires and meters distilling you down into a spikey chart. But with the added fear of his relationship with George had his hands shaking before he even saw the machine.

After he was all strapped up the man in the bad suit sat down in a chair in front of him and Spike could hear the computer technician and the Sarge breathing from behind him, looking at the computer read out of Spike.

"Are you Michael Scarlatti?" asked the man.

"Yes"

"Are you twenty-eight years old?"

"Yes"

"Is your birthday May 7, 1981?"

"Yes"

"Have you taken any illicit substances in the last year?"

"No"

And the questions continued until similarly until, "Have you disobeyed a direct order from a superior in the last year?"

As calmly as he could Spike answered "No"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"Okay Officer Scarlatti you may go."

Spike stripped off the wires and headed back to the fitness room. A half hour later Sarge summoned the entire team to the conference room this time flanked by both the computer technician and the man with poor taste in clothes. "Well according to Mr. Blais we have created something he has never seen before." Started the Sarge indicating the balding man on his right, "It would seem that only Jules and I passed the polygraph. And according to the computers it means that all of you" he pointed to the male team members, "have disobeyed a direct order but don't wish me to know about it. So to stop most of my team from being taken down I am insisting that one of you tell me what is going on."

Silence followed the Sarge's pronouncement. Until Spike spoke up, "It's in regards to the direct order you gave me to stay away from Lisa Spinachi."

"You are still going out with her?" exclaimed Jules, slightly disgusted.

"Look we all knew about it, Sarge. They've known each other since high school. It's not like he fell in love with her because she was a hostage" injected Sam, throwing Jules a look.

"That is an explanation not an excuse" Sarge stated heatedly.

"Yeah and that's great as a bumper sticker but in the real world people fall in love despite the rules." Stated Wordy.

"This is the SRU not 'Romeo and Juliet', Wordy." Argued Jules "We live by the rules here because if we don't people get hurt." Wordy looked like he was going to stick his tongue out at her but before he could Spike spoke up.

"Sarge, I love the SRU like my own family. And I'm Italian which means I love it a lot. But if it comes down to a fight between work and the girl I love I will leave the team. I know I can get a job at with the Police in Sudbury..." He trailed off.

A pained expression passed over everyone's face. Then the Sarge spoke, "Okay if you are going to be stubborn I'll have to consider this your two weeks' notice, Officer Scarlatti."

**_Please feel free to review... Ideas also very welcome_**


	7. Fights, Meetings and Allie

**_Directly after the last chapter...._**

Okay hell has frozen over, thought Lou as Spike stormed out of the SRU claiming that 'he didn't want to work there another hour'. Spike loved the SRU more than life; he'd said it was the first place he had fit in. Wordy leaned over to him after the Sarge had left as well and whispered "Man he must really like that girl."

"Yeah... we've got to do something." Added Ed. Jules and Sam came in closer.

Jules spoke up, "I agree."

"What the hell, Jules! You were just on Sarge's side a minute ago." Sam said scandalized.

"That was before Spike quit. He keeps the peace between us and if that means he gets to bend a rule slightly then so be it." Retorted Jules, "Anyway Spike's family."

Ed squirmed in his seat but didn't say anything. Lou then spoke up, "Okay well go to where we always go when we have to work out a problem. Sevenish okay?"

"So long as you don't mind Allie coming." Started Wordy, " She's due in another round of kemo tomorrow and I want to hang out with her for a bit since we have to work then."

"No problem" said Lou. And with that the group dispersed to again to the fitness room.

~*~

"Yo, Spinach there's someone here to see ya" yelled Max, George's boss over the rattle of the conveyer belts moving recyclables.

She grimaced at him and replied, "Very cute Max but you hit on me one more time and I'll have you done in for sexual harassment."

"This ain't innuendo, Spinach. There really is a guy to see you."

"Who?"

"Do I look like I care? Get your ass to the front area." George grudgingly stripped off her gloves and headed towards reception. Spike was leaning against the cement wall, a distracted look on his face. He jumped when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mike, what are you doing here?" George asked, confused, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"George, I had to quit" Spike said in a pained voice, "They found out about us and I took a stand and it backfired." There were tears in his eyes.

George looked at him, pity written all over her face, "Mike, if you wait a few minutes I'll be off shift then I can drive you home. Okay?" He just nodded glumly. George glanced at her watch, it was a quarter to five.

The fifteen minutes that passed were the slowest that had ever gone by in George's life. She ran for the locker room, and was out at a record time of only two minutes past the hour. Spike was still staring disjointedly at the ceiling. She grabbed his hand and was practically dragging him to her car. She groaned as she approached her beat up car. Raymond Grain a.k.a. the biggest creep working for city sanitation was leaning against it.

"Hey baby-spinach who's your puppy?"

"This is Mike, Ray."

"Mhmm, he don't look like he's doing you much good, babe."

"Shove off, Ray. He just lost his job."

"Then I guess you'll be looking for a new sugar daddy, eh, Spinach." He grinned toothily. George dropped Spike's hand.

"Ray go crawl back into the slime you were born in." Ray got off her car and came and looked down at her. Spike rustled beside George.

"You dump him and we could go and party."

"Go away." Said George slowly with only a hint of anger.

"Whatever you say toots." And he slapped George's rear end. Then next thing anyone knew George and three other sanitation personnel were pulling a flailing Spike off Ray and as everyone, including Ray, scurried off before the police could be called. George pushed Spike into her car and started the engine. Spike was crying and mumbling apologises. George, draped her arm across Spike's shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"What happened today, Mike?"

Bleary eyed Spike recounted the exchange in the Wordy Express and the events that lead to the polygraph test and the stand he took after the polygraph test. By the time he had finished the story they were at his parents' house in Woodbridge.

"Do you want to come in? He asked sheepishly.

"Sure, as long as I can use your shower. The way I smell I could probably peel the paint from your walls." They entered through the front door and Maria flocked to them.

"Michael, why are you home early?" she asked, obviously in a flap.

George sensed Spike's reluctance to tell his mother the truth and turned to Maria and said, "He wasn't feeling well so he phoned me to drive him home. He asked me to say, if that is alright?"

Maria instantly went into an even bigger flap, fussing over Spike, "Yes, of course, dear you can stay. Why don't you freshen up. You know where the bathroom is."

"Thanks Mrs. Scarlatti" responded George heading up the stairs to the bathroom while Maria whisked Spike down to his 'suite'.

Fifteen minutes later George was sitting on beside Spike, who was trussed up in a blanket on his couch. And a half hour later they had both convinced Maria that George could look after Spike and that she should go to her bridge group. Once the adjoining door had closed and they heard Maria and Joseph drive off Spike unwrapped himself from the blanket and George snuggled in closer.

"So what are going to do?" asked George. Spike opened his mouth but a knock came at Spike's private entrance. Spike wrapped himself in his blanket again and George went and answered the door. Lou, Ed and Sam were on his doorstep. When the door opened they quickly came in and began to take off their shoes. Before Spike or George could utter a word another knock came and Ed, Jules, Wordy and Allie came in.

There was a low banter as everyone settled down and sat on the couch and floor. Spike was sandwiched between Allie and Ed. George was still by the door. Lou stood up from his beatnik position on the floor but before he could open his mouth Spike asked "What the hell is this?"

Lou turned as if he hadn't heard Spike, "Okay people, were here to discuss the premature departure of Spike from the SRU" he waved at Spike, "because of his relationship with George a.k.a. Lisa Spinachi." Spike and George looked taken aback. "The floor is now open for ideas."

Jules was ready "We need a legal loophole. Something that even the Sarge can't refute."

"Yeah, but there is no legal way to break the rules which is what Spike did no matter how we spin it" amended Wordy.

Silence descended once more on the group then Allie spoke up in her weak voice, turning to look at Spike and George in turn, "There is one way that you two can legally stay together." Everyone's eyes turned to Allie and she turned the laptop she'd been playing on to face the majority of the group. The banner 'Ontario Human Rights Commission' met their eyes. "Legally one cannot be discriminated against in Ontario in the workforce because of one's family."

"Allie, weren't you listening," injected Wordy, "George and Spike aren't family their romantically involved."

Allie rolled her eyes, "Dad, I don't care if he's banging her..."

Sam whispered in Lou's ear, "Isn't she like twelve?" Lou nodded, smirking.

"...there is more than one way to be family" She finished.

Each face brightened as they realized what Allie was saying until only George and Spike remained in the dark. "What is she talking about?" queried Spike, suspicious. George's brow was puckered.

Ed smiled in what was supposed to be a kind smile but just looked evil and shuffled over to where George was standing and held out a ring of twisted Kleenex pronouncing, "Do you Lisa 'George' Spinachi 'Rossi' take Michael Scarlatti to be your loving husband like perhaps somewhere in the next week or so?"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**_Some notes:  
-yes, Allie has cancer. I was trying to figure out why a girl might not have enough hair for a braid (Asking for Flowers) and this came to mind. I thought it could fit with Wordy's horrible luck_**

-For those wondering why everyone is calling George/Lisa 'Spinach', Spinachi is the Italian form of the word spinach. If anyone is interested Scarlatti means a person who makes things out of scarlet fabric. The -atti at the end of the name is a derivative of where Spike's family is likely from in Italy.

**_-And finally, I know I strechted reality with a few things in this chapter such as the whole human rights thing and Maria Scarlatti's ability to leave her 'sick' son (yeah there is no way that would happen in a real Italian household)_**


	8. Inside the Minds

**_Well I get the distinct feeling that people don't like what I've done but nevertheless here is the next chapter. Most of it are the characters thoughts. As always reviews and ideas are always nice..._**

The room was deathly silent as even Allie looked up to see what her suggestion had spawned. Spike and George were both a shade of white that was usually reserved for albinos and the rest of the team looked on in anxious anticipation. Everyone knew that it all came down to two things: whether or not Spike and George really loved each other and how much Spike loved his job.

**Lou**

Sweet Jesus what kind of hole has Spike gotten himself into? Marriage? Well I mean his mom will be happy but.... no he can't get married. He's just a kid... well he's almost thirty. Nah it's like imagining your parents being in young, I can't picture it. Man he's looking pale... she doesn't look to good either. I guess it's an okay idea but where the hell does Wordy send his kids to school. When I was twelve I was learning math like how many keys of coke you can cut with a bottle of Tylenol. Guess that was a different neighbourhood though... Damn I wish Ed would get up from that stupid kneel...

**Sam**

Hhm Jules looks angry, knowing her it's because if Spike never met George she could be dry walling. We were lucky that Sarge wasn't this bad when he found out about us...but maybe were the reason he's being so hard on Spike. I mean it's not like he only just met her that day he's known her longer than any of the team. Gheez I hope not. Spike's a really nice guy the kind of guy you could count on to watch your back...and George seems nice to. Not some chick who would need to be waited on hand and foot but someone who is grounded. They would make a nice couple now that I think about it....

**Jules**

Boy am I glad Sarge wasn't this hard on Sam and I but I guess it's different because she was a hostage. I should be dry walling now. If we were never driving down that street Spike might have never met her again and I could be dry walling instead of saving our 'family'. Shit if I had only taken that right turn instead of the left, like I was going to, we might not be living in this soap opera like situation.

**Wordy**

I hope they don't agree to go through with this. Love should be spontaneous, real, not just so he can save his job. Human Rights?! And how the hell does Allie know so much about Human Rights? And where did she learn the colloquialism banging. I think I need to censor the T.V. more. Maybe it's from Twilight...maybe Shelly was right, maybe it is just erotica for the young. I should read it to make sure it's safe for the girls. Maybe Julia brought home her boyfriend... what if that's what they've been talking about when the door closes. Maybe Shelly and I should give the sex talk to her again. Ugh...

**Allie**

Wow who knew marriage could cause so many problems. I mean they're probably already sleeping together, who cares if now they do it with the same last name. Ugh Dad's giving me that look again. He's so old fashioned probably hates my idea cause it belittles love. I might only be twelve but even I know love is nothing but a chemical reaction you can't belittle it, it just happens and fades. Why couldn't he take me somewhere fun for my day before kemo...Although this is interesting, maybe I should write a story about it...

**Ed**

HOLY CRAP! I can't believe I am seeing this for real. It's like a story. Damn I should get up my knees are killing me plus she looks like she might pass out and I can catch her better if I'm standing up. Now that I think about it this is kinda how I proposed to Sophie 'cept she was pregnant not that I regret it. I think Spike's in the same boat never seen him get this swoony over a girl before probably would have married her in a bit anyway. No harm, no foul. His mother's going to get mad at him for not letting her plan a lavish wedding but all they need is the city marriage license and they're golden. Sarge can't fire him probably just bitter about Dean sending back another birthday gift, everyone needs someone to channel their hatred through...

**George**

????????????????

**Spike**

Well maybe... Ma would be happy... Would be able to keep both George and the job... but do I love her that much... would she marry me?... Guess there is only one way to find out...

The silence was broken by Ed getting up, his knees cracking. Spike got up as if in a daze took George's hand and led her outside away from prying eyes. It was raining again. He looked at her deeply, "George, will you marry me?" he said with conviction, "I me-mean if you don't want to I understand." He faltered, "I mean it's not just about the job I do love you like no one else. You get me and you saved me in high school..." he trailed off.

George looked back at him. Deep into his pained eyes and whispered, "I understand Mike. It's just that... well I need time to think... I don't want to..." she trailed off. She turned around and strolled into Joseph's garden and sat down on the bench her head in her hands. Spike knew better than to follow her.


	9. Yes or No?

**_Okay a warning before this chapter: I am male, was born male and choose to remain male so when I try and write a girl to girl talk you know its going to be kinda crappy. So in advance I apologize to all the female fans of Flashpoint who read this for probably one of the most awkward conversations you will have ever read. On the plus side this is the shortest chapter I have written so you don't have to suffer long._**

Spike headed back inside to face the peanut gallery. As he closed the door he was met by six quizzical faces, all of which quickly turned to horror as they realized he was alone.

"Dude, I'm so sorry!" spoke up Lou.

"What? Why?" asked Spike.

"Well she must have said no"

"Actually she's thinking it over. She's in the garden." Answered Spike, as nonchalantly as he could mange.

Jules got up and headed for the door, stopping to pull on her shoes. "Where are you going, Jules?" asked a puzzled looking Sam.

"She probably needs a friend right now and as her best friend just proposed to her I think someone else should go. That someone could be me." And with that she headed out into Joseph's garden. George still had her head in her hands when Jules approached her. When Jules sat down however, George's head flicked up.

"Oh hello Officer Callaghan." Snuffled George.

"You can call me Jules, George. How are you holding up?"

"I...I don't know." Sobbed George. "If my mom was still here I'd ask her for help but she's not. And – and I don't know who else to talk to." She paused, "I mean its not like I don't want to marry Mike. God knows I had the biggest crush on him in high school but this is all so sudden. We've only been dating a couple of months. And he's my first boyfriend since grade thirteen... but it's not like we don't know each other... arghh, I'm so confused."

"George" said Jules firmly, "no one can tell you what to do, ultimately it is up to you. But think about it. He loves you. Now you may not have known Spike since your high school days but he is a serial dater. And of all of his girlfriends he has never once risked everything to be with any of them except you. As girls who hang around guys all day, you and I know that's a pretty big deal."

"I guess you're right" responded George, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "Uh, do you think you could get Mike to come out here? I really don't want to face the rest of them right now."

"Sure." Jules answered getting up from the small bench.

She had made it half way back to Spike's door when a small voice called out, "Thanks Jules." Jules smiled and headed back into Spike's suite.

"Hey Spike." She called out as she entered, "She wants to talk to you." Spike paled even more as he got up and headed out the door. While treading the path to the garden Spike saw that George no longer had her head in her hands but was looking at him, nervous. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle as Spike sat next to her on his father's garden bench.

George looked at Spike and nervously said, "Mike, you know you are my best friend in the world right?" He nodded, "And you know that I love you more than anything?" he nodded again. George took a deep shuddering breath, "Then in response to your question, my answer is yes. Yes, I will marry you. And yes, I will marry you within the next week."

Dumbstruck Spike's mouth fell open, "Really? Are you serious?"

"Mike, if you were willing to quit and move to Sudbury just to stay with me, I think I can deal with becoming Mrs. Michael Scarlatti." They both laughed lightly. George looked up at the rain, "Well we better go tell the group our good news before we catch a death out here." The couple ran to back to the basement suite.

As the door swung open the tension that had enveloped the room could have been cut with a knife. Lou raised an eyebrow at Spike as he entered and Spike nodded. A huge grin spread rapidly across Lou's face and he jumped up and slapped Spike on his back.

"Congrats man"

After seeing Lou's jubilant action the rest of team one and Allie bounded towards the couple, shaking their hands and congratulating them. After about half an hour, and many assurances that they would be invited to the ceremony everyone except the engaged couple left. An eerie silence fell between the two and they sat down on the couch together emotionally drained.

"So?" Posited Spike.

"So." agreed George.

"How are we going to break this to our parents?" Spike queried.

"Break what to us?" Asked Maria Scarlatti, from the door that connected the basement to the rest of the house.

"Yes what?" echoed, much to Spike and George's disbelief, Frank Rossi. Unknown to the couple Maria and Joseph Scarlatti along with another bridge partner Frank Rossi had arrived home just in time to see the three vehicles of Spike's teammates leaving their property. Curious they had went to question their children, but little did they know what had conspired in the few short hours they had been playing cards.

**_Soooo what do you think? What should they tell their parents? Should they get married? Does anyone actually read the authors notes? To answer any of these questions please press the review button!_**


	10. The End of the World as They Knew It

**_Okay here's the next chapter in the chronicles of George Rossi and Spike Scarlatti. It takes place directly after the last chapter. Oh and it is a little kitsch so beware..._**

Nervous glances were exchanged between George and Spike before they got up together and Spike said, "Ma, Dad, Mr. Rossi you'd better sit down for this."

As the three member of the older generation sat down on Spike's raggedy old couch. Spike began to pace, trying to figure out what to say. Watching his every move Frank Rossi suddenly collapsed into his hand crying. Everyone looked at him, surprised.

"Frank, what is it?" asked Maria, touching Frank's shaking knee.

"She's pregnant. They are here to tell us that she is pregnant. I've seen this set up before. I watch my soaps" He wailed. Maria and Joseph looked scandalized.

"Dad! I'm not pregnant", shouted George over the din of Frank's continued sobbing. "We got something to tell which does not involve me losing my virginity." Spike almost laughed at the idea of George being a virgin, considering they had copulated only a few metres away. However, he held it in feeling that it might not look good if that came out at this moment.

"Ma, here is what is going on..." started only to be flummoxed on how to continue. All of a sudden he had a brain wave. Much to everyone else's dismay he went over and started rummaging through his vinyl collection, extricating a beat up record called "Paradise, Hawaiian Style". He placed it on the turn table and put the needle down towards the centre of the record. When he started up the stereo a deep male voice and a young girls voice sang a duet:

_Datin' is a game that grown-ups play  
Datin' means acting in a silly way  
Datin' makes girls start wiggle walking  
Datin' makes a guy start baby talking_

Dizzy like children on a merry-go-round  
Grown-ups are the biggest kids I've found  
You'd think they belong in a baby carriage  
They're doing things that lead to marriage  
But don't you laugh at what they do, oh no  
'cause some day you'll be datin' too

Datin' makes a guy comb his hair just right  
His girl can mess it up when they kiss good-night  
Datin' makes you quarrel and say you'll break up  
And just because it's so much fun to make up

Children can't wait to grow up but then  
They're datin and they're acting like kids again  
You'd think they belong in a baby carriage  
They're doing things that lead to marriage  
But don't you laugh at what they do, oh no  
Some day you'll be datin' too

When the needle stopped at the end of the record all the three parents could do was look cryptically at Spike and George. Spike spoke up, "Well as Elvis and the little girl said dating makes you do silly things and one of those silly things is marriage. Ma, Dad, Mr. Rossi. I proposed to George and she said yes. We are going to get married." He breathed out deeply waiting for the kafuffle that was sure to follow.

Maria Scarlatti was the first to 'speak'. She squealed loudly and ran over and pulled both Spike and George into a suffocating hug. The two fathers sat, dumbstruck, on the couch before getting up to congratulate the couple.

"Oh Michael. George. We'll have the biggest wedding you can imagine. It'll be at Immaculate Conception as soon as we can get you in."

Spike looked nervously at George and she gave him a nervous look back, "Uh Ma... we were thinking about this weekend..."

"What about this weekend?" bubbled Maria.

"Getting married this weekend. Saturday to be exact." answered Spike. The silence was deafening. Spike looked pleadingly at George.

"You know Maria we just want a small wedding. You know my cousin Max well he's a priest now and he's coming to visit this weekend anyway so we thought we could hold it in..." she paused for the briefest of moments, "...your backyard. It is so beautiful with all of Joseph's plants."

Maria looked down cast. "Are you sure you don't want to have it in a church?"

"Yes, Ma we're sure."

"We'll then I'd better get cooking. Saturday is only four days away. Joseph you phone the relatives." She barked turning to her husband, then to Mr. Rossi, "Frank would you be a dear and help me in the kitchen." Finally she turned to the couple, "George have you got a wedding dress?"

"N-no" stammered George.

"Come with me then dear. Michael, clean up this place it looks like a pig-sty. We are going to have guests over." And with that she dragged George upstairs and left Spike in the middle of his lair, bemused at what had happened over the last hour.

~*~

With smirks across all of their faces Wordy, Ed, and Lou got out of the Wordy Express the next morning. Spike nervously followed them into the SRU, seeing as his 'two weeks' were still due.

When the morning meeting started Greg was instantly suspicious of the Cheshire Cat grins that the team, save Spike, were wearing; however, experience had taught him better than to search out what they were planning and to simple let it blow up in his face and laugh when they did.

After the meeting Spike went to take an inventory of the weapons and ammunition, as he was riding a desk for another week until he could get another crack at the polygraph. As he counted the remaining shells in the open package he remembered the events of the previous night.

Once his mother had dragged George away to see if her old wedding dress could be modified to fit her, an earth shattering scream had come from Spike's parent's room. As the three tired males sprinted up to the bedroom, they met Maria on the landing clutching her heart. After they had made her a strong cup of tea Maria had regained her voice. It turned out the dress was a backless affair with cream folds and intricate beadwork and when George had tried it on Maria had seen the telltale circles of the cigarette burns. George had come down by that point and was trying to calm the parents down but she and Spike had ended up staying up until almost 4:00 AM, telling them about their days as the bully's bulls-eyes in high school. Needless to say, Spike was exhausted and after three separate attempts to count the bullets he averaged out his counts to 106 shells.

When lunch finally came around Lou and Spike went out to eat at the picnic benches across the street from the SRU so that they could talk without the possibility of Greg overhearing. They started drafting wedding vows that Spike could say at the wedding and Lou started scratching out his best man speech, as Spike would have no other best man than Lou. As they sat and talked with their scraps of paper and pens they were oblivious to Pete, the new officer at the front desk, listening to their every word. As Spike and Lou finished their lunch and headed back inside Pete smiled to himself as he finally saw a way into getting into active duty.

_**Couldn't help but put a true jerk into the mix (after all Greg is just parroting the rules) so I am sorry to all you who liked Pete in "Exit Wounds" but I couldn't do it to any of the major characters. **_

_**Oh and another thing, please don't say anything about how unbelievable it is that they used an Elvis song to tell their parents about their marriage. That's exactly how my fiancee and I told our parents that we were getting married.**_


End file.
